ROWING.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 56, 7 March 1911, Page 6

ROWING.

AFTER WANGANUI

i , "Mercury," writing in Saturday's Dominion, says: — This year's lesson is that this standard is not set by individual and outstanding crews. It proves conclusively that our crews are at least as good, and perhaps a little better, than those of last year. This is a satisfactory state of affairs, and an even more gratifying feature is that the form shown by the.Junior and Maiden crews indicates that tliera are men coming along in the lower grades upon whom we can safely rely for the retention of the present high standard.

Our aim should now be to raise this present level. The only way this can be done is to match our best against the best of other countries, beginning, of necessity with Australia. Last year as far as was then possible this was done with extremely pleasing results to ourselves. But this was only as far as four-

| oared rowing is concerned, i Now, as is known, eight-oar work is considered ,to be the' Australian rowing man's long suit. The States individually specialise on rowing in eights. Pair-oar and double scull I work, as we know it (that is in best■f and-best boats and as championship J contests), have no place worth considering "on fcho other side," and it is much the same with tour-oared ] rowing- 'It is all eights and single sculls-,'but eights easily first and foremost. " Therefore our aim should be to "try out" our best men against the Australian best in this branch of the sport. ' The difficulties in the way are great, and perhaps th© time is not yet, but this end should be worked for. Its attainment is perhaps hearer to hand than is generally thought. The Dominion has the men, Wanganui has the boats for them to train in/ and the river to train on. What is wanted is leave for the selected eight and the money. INTERESTING EIGHT-OAR TRIAL. The above reflections have been brought to a head by an incident that occurred at Wanganui after the regatta. On the following morning, one of the Wanganui Club's eights was manned by members of the Blenheim and the Wanganui Union crews, and the spectators were treated to an exhibition of combined rowing that was a pleasure to witness. The crew consisted of Cotterill and Rylands, (stroke and No 3 of the Unions) stroke and No 7, Andrews and Jackson (stroke and No 3 of the Blenheim) Nos 6 and 5, the Hegglun brothers (Blenheim) Nos 4 and 3, and Dustin and Corby (Union) No 2 and bow. It was astonishing how the eight welded together. There was not a flaw in the time and swing, and the combination generally was more that of ,a, crew that had been together for a month than that of a scratch crew. As to the pace-—well, that is another matter. It remains to be seen whether the principles that have made this double quartette so successful in fours would avail to tha same extent in eights. It certainly looked a most formidable ation of grace and power as it swung up the river. To make the occasion more spectacular, and to give the onlookers a thrill, a scratch race was arranged between the champions eight, and a cosmopolitan crew from ranks of the

visiting oarsmen. This latter was stroked by Stone, the champion sculler t pf three years' standing, representing St. George's Club, Auckland, raid members of the Waitemata Canterbury, and Star Clubs, each man wearing his club colors; and truly, neither the lilies of the field nor Solomon in all his glory were arrayed"', as was this cosmopolitan octette.

The two eights rowed up the river a little over two miles, when they turned, and the cosmopolitans took a handicap of some three or four lengths. A more or less strenuous race took place back to the sheds— the more on the part of the scratch lot, and the less on the part of the champions. Still the going was fairly brisk, and the handicap proved to be a good one. The combined champions won after a grand rattle over the last furlong by half a length, and an exchange of cheers closed a most interesting incident. The winning boat was "coxed" by Mr George Marshall, the captain of the Wanganui R.C., and the second boat by Mr Cooper, an ex-secretary of the Star 8.C,,1 ..... ,-:.-.■:'■ ■■■■ -;.- ■ . . ■